HANDICAP PARKING RULES CAN HELP

After years of complaints about the misuse of handicapped parking permits, a serious effort to reduce the number of cheaters finally has been made. As of this week, changes in state law covering the permitting process that were scheduled to go into effect last Oct. 1 are being implemented.

Only those drivers who can meet tough medical guidelines will be eligible to park in handicapped spaces.

To qualify, they will need a certificate of disability that identifies their medical condition and is signed by a physician. Previously, all that was needed was a note from a doctor stating that the applicant was disabled.

Skeptics say the new restrictions won't work all that well because doctors and drivers who winked at requirements in the past will continue to do so. Supporters of the law say it contains a provision that will inhibit creative permit applications. Any physician who signs a form containing false information will be commiting a third-degree felony.

The new rules also include a provision that could complicate the handicapped parking situation. For the first time, drivers with short-term disabilities, such as a broken leg, will be able to get temporary permits for up to 90 days.

Last year, 42,411 Broward County drivers had handicapped parking permits. Statewide, the number was estimated at 250,000. Motor vehicle officials say the temporary permits could add 600,000 more people to the state total.

Everybody has a story about watching a car wheel into a handicapped parking slot, then seeing an agile driver pop out and proceed to walk briskly away to shop, do an errand or enter a restaurant.

Hardly anybody has seen any of these fakers given a ticket. But it does happen. Last year, Sgt. Mike Basak of the Broward Sheriff's Office issued 732 citations and 49 warnings for illegally parking in handicapped spaces.

There never will be enough law enforcement personnel to eliminate inconsiderate drivers who occupy parking spots meant for people whose mobility is severely restricted. The problem could be be reduced considerably, however, if motorists who apply for permits and physicians who sign their certificates take the new regulations seriously.